Operations at Mopani Copper Mine are still suspended due to limited power supply resulting from a dispute with Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) over tariffs.
Mining Manager Brian Herbert held another meeting with workers this morning to explain the situation and ask miners to remain calm.
He said the case will come up in court on Thursday and a clearer way forward would be given.
CEC confirmed that it had restricted the amount of electricity it supplied to Glencore unit Mopani Copper Mines saying the institution had failed to adhere to new tariffs proposed by government; a flat tariff of 9.30 U.S. cents/kilowatt hour (kWh) backdated to January for mining companies, instead of individually negotiated rates that have averaged 6 U.S. cents/kWh, but mining companies opposed the plan.
“To date, MCM has rejected the industry-wide tariff increment and sought to continue to pay for the electricity they consume at the old tariff,” said CEC spokesperson Chama Nsabika-Kalima .